Alaskan Surprise (3-Jun-42)

Background: On the same morning as the spectacular climax of the Battle of Midway was occurring, the Japanese Northern Group launched its second raid on Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The Northern Group's purpose was to divert US forces away from Midway, where they expected to fight a fleet action in a few days. They had sent an initial raid the day before, which was a complete surprise.

This second raid launched from Junyo attacked the next day. On their way out, they regrouped over Umnak Island, by chance nearly over Otis Point, a still-incomplete (but functional) airfield being built at Ft. Glenn. 8 P-40Es of the 11th Fighter Squadron had scrambled - and were waiting for the Japanese.

Map: Achtung Spitfire land map

Setup:

• Set up the Vals, the Kates, and 3 Zeros in shotai formations formations. All are in level flight at 10.0 alt speed 3.5. Put the formation leaders in 2015, 1520, 2025, 2520 (roll randomly for which formation is in which hex). Roll randomly for direction. Select any upright bank.
• The P-40s start at 12.0 ft in a shallow dive at speed 7.0 in any upright bank. Use the TMG to randomly select an entry direction; 10+D6 hexes from the nearest Japanese aircraft..

Game Length: 20 turns

Special Rules:

The second set of three Zeros arrives on turn 8. They enter as a shotai no nearer than 8 hexes from the nearest P-40. They can use either a shallow dive or level; select any speed up to level max or level max + 1.0 (only in dive).

Additional Rules:

1. National Training Standards:
   • Japanese: Good
   • US: Average

   Roll for additional pilot characteristics as desired.

2. The bombers are unloaded, having already dropped the bombs on Dutch Harbor.
3. The Japanese are all organized as Shotai. The two Val Shotai are organized together as a chutai.
   

History

The historic outcome was that two P-40Es were shot down. (One was recovered in 1988 and is currently being restored at the Alaskan Aviation Heritage Museum.) Two Vals and a Zero were shot down, and two more Vals crashed before returning to Junyo. The most notable outcome of this combat was that a Zero was shot down after the pilot was hit. It landed inverted in a bog with minimal damage. After a few months, the Zero was recovered nearly intact, brought to the United States and tested, revealing a few interesting weaknesses that were funneled back to US pilots in the Pacific.

ADCs

All ADCs available in Whistling Death.

Variants

Full Numbers:

• 8 P-40s
  
• 15 A6M2
  
• 11 Vals
  
• 6 Kates
  

Sources

• Miracle at Midway, G Prange
• Arctic War Planes: Alaska Aviation of World War II by S. Mills
• History of United States Naval Operations in World War II Vol III: The Battle of Midway, Adm S. Morison
• Pacific Wrecks: P-40 on Umnak Island
  

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